Snow Fairy doubles up in Irish Oaks
If Ed Dunlop had any concerns about whether Snow Fairy could handle testing ground there were dispelled as Snow Fairy ran out a convincing winner of the second Classic.
The filly who had been supplemented, as she had been when she won the Oaks at Epsom last month, justified the €42,500 (about £36,700) that connections had staked when she won the Darley Irish Oaks at the Curragh.
The going on the round course was turned to good to yielding after overnight rainfall and Ice Empress and Akdarena set out make every yard of the 12 furlongs a proper test of stamina.
Ice Empress, one of five Aidan O’Brien runners, had a six-length lead heading up to the top of the hill but was being caught by the home straight, by Akdarena, Lady Lupus and Meeznah.
Lady Lupus, ridden by O’Brien son Joseph, took up the running and was immediately challenged by Meeznah but neither had any reply when Ryan Moore delivered the filly with just under two furlongs to run.
Having taken a bump from Eldalil as the field sorted themselves, Moore had kept Snow Fairy off the early pace and was still 10 lengths off the lead as the field swung into the home straight. There were some who thought that he victory in the Oaks had been as much due to Moore’s tactical awareness to pick his way through what had been a rough race as it had been Snow Fairy’s merit. But this time she proved herself emphatically.
Snow Fairy only had a neck to spare over Meeznah when she won at Epsom six week ago but this time she powered eight lengths clear of Miss Jean Brodie, the Godolphin filly trained by Mahmood Al Zarooni, who came through beaten horses to take second with Lady Lupus staying on for third and Meeznah fourth.
The other Godolphin runner in the race was Hibaayeb, the winner of the Ribblesdale Stakes at Royal Ascot last month, was the market leader but was one of the first beaten, never looking dangerous and eased down by Frankie Dettori with two furlongs to go before trailing home last. Her trainer, Saeed bin Suroor, said: “Hibaayeb didn’t like the soft going at all - she needs better ground.”
Despite the vastly more impressive winning distance, Moore did not think that Snow Fairy had shown an improved performance from Epsom. “She wasn’t a better filly today, she wasn’t enjoying the ground,” he said. “They went quick and she wasn’t enjoying it going up the hill and down the hill. But she’s a fighter and she got through it. We arrived there too early but she’s really come on from Epsom in her work but I think, back on better ground, she’ll be even better.
“I got a couple of bumps early on, which is never nice on a filly especially of her size, but she obviously by far the best three-year-old filly and she showed that today.”
Dunlop, winning the race for a third time – following on from Lailani (2001) and Ouija Board (2004) –is now considering his options with Snow Fairy, which could include the Yorkshire Oaks and a tilt at third Classic with a crack at the St Leger at Doncaster in September.
The testing ground certainly exaggerated some of the winning distances but that alone could not dismiss the authoritative performance of Dunboyne Express to win the Group Three Jebel Ali Stables & Racecourse Anglesey Stakes.
Dunboyne Express had looked rather green when he won his maiden at Leopardstown last month and Decalan McDonogh still appeared to be trying to educate the colt in the first two furlongs of this race. Obviously Dunboyne Express is a quick learner because once Samuel Morse, the favourite, took up the running from his stable companion Rudolf Valentino before the two-furlong marker, Dunboyne Express brushed past him and then lengthened eight lengths clear at the line.
Glor Na Mara, a newcomer from the Jim Bolger yard, had been touted as a promising colt and briefly threatened to be involved in the finish but then fell away tamely to finish last of the four runners, although it would be too soon to write him off.
The Kevin Prendergast yard has a few promising juveniles this season and the trainer has made no secret of his opinion of this one, who could run next in the Phoenix Stakes.
Pathfork, who won the opening race on the card for Jessica Harrington, could be heading for the Group Two Futurity Stakes back at the Curragh next month.
McDonagh was on target again in a tight finish to the bettor.com Rockingham Handicap as Bay Knight came from near last to first to get up on the line collar Luisant.
http://www.senore.com/Buzzword-first-Classci-winner-for-Mahmood-al-Zarooni-a17276
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